Award-winning building features Kawneer curtain walling and debuts a new
door.

Two types of curtain walling, and
entrance doors, by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer, including the first use in
the UK of a new severe duty welded door, feature on an award-winning
building at
the heart of the dynamic redevelopment of Cardiff's Central Square.

Kawneer's AA®100 capped and
zone-drained aluminium curtain wall, complemented by its SSG (Structurally
Silicone Glazed) and mullion-drained sister product, have been used throughout
the glittering façade of the striking new headquarters building for BBC Cymru at Three Central
Square.

They in turn are complemented by thermally-superior
AA®720 doors and the new dual colour AA®190 TB
severe duty welded doorswith class-leading thermal performance that is so robust they are
offered with a lifetime guarantee.

The project, designed by Foster +
Partners and built by main contractor ISG Construction for developer Rightacres
Property, won a 2019 RICS Wales award for Design Through Innovation, and it is
easy to see why.

Set over four floors, the building is the
new home for 1,200 BBC Cymru staff and includes 16,292m2 of curtain
walling and 3,572m2 of precast stone panels over 150,000ft2
of office, studio and production space.

The 2,000-tonne steel frame is an
essential design feature, as part of the design's focus on the building's
visibility. It is left exposed underneath a glass roof garden canopy supported
by 10 28m-high supporting steel columns, with the frame's connections forming a
diamond shape in the centre.

The building is designed to be open and
welcoming - visitors can access the ground floor and look up through a
full-height atrium into the working spaces above, as well as into a new café
facing the square. The design also establishes a sense of openness and
transparency between different departments to create new opportunities for
collaboration and interaction.

The heart of the headquarters is a
4,000m2 'hub' which extends across three linked levels and
incorporates studios, offices and production facilities. The scheme includes a
sheltered garden on the hub's roof which is connected to a restaurant and
provides a unique venue for filming as well as a valuable social amenity for
staff.

The project targeted BREEAM 'Outstanding'
environmental accreditation with strategies such as chilled beams, locally-sourced
and recycled materials, and an efficient envelope. Mechanical systems have been
carefully integrated to create a highly flexible interior which can anticipate
and respond to changing technologies.

Adam Newburn, partner at Foster +
Partners, said: “The Kawneer system was proposed by the façade contractor,
Dudley's Aluminium. We looked at the product closely and found that it met the
performance requirements of the design.”

The glazed elements are fundamental to Foster's
design which was to have large-format curtain glazing so the Kawneer products
were instrumental in allowing that to happen.They met the aesthetic and performance
intent of the design, enabling the design intent to shine through and integrating
seamlessly with the rest of the façade.

Located opposite Cardiff Central railway
station, the project is situated on the site of the former bus station. Works
on Plots 1, 2, 3 and 6 have completed, or are near completion, and works on
Plot 4 are to start soon, and this will create a dynamic area known as Central
Square.

The innovative spirit of the project was
defined by the BBC's vision to be the most creative organisation in the world,
its commitment to create genuine public engagement and the idea to create an
open and attractive workplace. Broadcasting studios usually require a
controlled environment for operations, yet the building manages to achieve the
contrasting aims of the project to open up to the public as well as be a
world-class broadcasting hub for BBC Cymru.

RICS judges said the project created a
dynamic principal building for the Central Square redevelopment and that the
team behind it had created a “spectacular” commercial, pre-let building.

Historically, Central Square was the
site of the planned settlement of Temperance Town, a 19th Century
inner-city suburb, which was demolished to make way for Cardiff bus station
which opened in 1954, and office buildings.

For many years the area suffered from a
lack of sustained investment. Despite its significant public transport
attributes, it failed to deliver high levels of economic activity and provided
an underwhelming and unwelcoming arrival for many visitors. The case for
regeneration of the site was made because the existing under-development was
hindering Cardiff's potential.

Cardiff's rapidly changing skyline
reflects the capital's huge economic growth over the past 10 years. Central
Square is within the Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone which is already home to
several financial and professional service businesses.

One of the primary aims of the project
was to give back to the city and the relocation of BBC Cymru from Broadcasting
House in Llandaff acted as a catalyst for change, creating the opportunity to
regenerate the historic site and unlock the heart to the city.